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Horizon 2020
European Union funding
for Research & Innovation
Robotics
Spotlight on ERC projects
2015
http://erc.europa.eu
Introduction
The idea of automated machines that can perform tasks
autonomously dates back to ancient times but robotics is a relatively
new research domain – less than 60 years old. Today, this broad,
interdisciplinary scientific field combines mechanical and electrical
engineering, computational studies, communication engineering,
but also neurosciences and cognitive sciences.
From the big industrial robots that assist production in factories, to
the robotic sensors in navigation systems and the nanorobots that
might be injected in our cells for therapeutic purposes, researchers
in robotics do not have to look too far for a scientific challenge or
room for progress.
The European Research Council (ERC) aims at supporting top
researchers with these challenges by funding their best scientific
ideas. Around 60 robotics-related projects have been funded by
the ERC since its creation, representing more than €104 million
invested in research areas such as human-robot interactions, robot
tasks and abilities with various industrial or service applications
(e.g. health, care, safety and domestic).
This brochure showcases a few examples of these projects.
Set up in 2007, the ERC is the first pan-European funding body
designed to support investigator-driven frontier research and to
stimulate scientific excellence across Europe. It aims to support
the best and most creative scientists to identify and explore
new directions in any field of research (Physical Sciences and
Engineering, Life Sciences and Social Sciences and Humanities)
with no thematic priorities and the only evaluation criterion being
excellence.
With its 5000th grant to be signed in 2015, it has now been 8 years
that the ERC awards long-term grants to individual researchers
of any nationality and age who wish to carry out their research
projects in Europe.
Towards simpler, smarter artificial hands
Will robots ever have the same dexterity as humans? Professor Antonio Bicchi is working on the next-generation of artificial hands that
can be programmed to adapt to different tasks and environments. The promising results of his research could have a strong impact on
engineering robotics as well as on rehabilitation technologies.
The human hand is an extremely complex system abundant in receptors, muscles and articular joints. For this reason, despite significant
advances in humanoid robotics in recent years, current artificial hands either have limited functionality or lack adequate practicality and
robustness. Aiming at overcoming these constraints, Prof. Bicchi’s team has developed an artificial hand, called SoftHand, unique in its
ability to distinguish between heavy and delicate objects. To achieve this result, researchers have worked on making a better hand by
making it simpler. Simple is not easy, however, and the new development could only be based on the understanding of the sensorimotor
system of human hand through a new approach based on the theory of soft synergies.
First conceived to enable humanoid robots to do fine manipulation, SoftHand is currently being adapted to be used as a prosthesis
enabling a human being to grasp and manipulate a wide variety of objects. The artificial hand is connected to the forearm via electrodes
which register the electronic activity of the muscle. Then the signal is analysed by an electronic interface that communicates with the
motor. When muscles contract, the motor is activated and the hand closes to pick up objects. This mechanism allows controlling not only
the movement but also the force, making the artificial hand effective for both delicate and forceful manipulation tasks.
The outcome of this project may provide the basis for further refinement of a high-performance prosthetic hand with superior functional
capabilities and that could be produced at a comparatively low cost.
Researcher: Antonio Bicchi
ERC project: A Theory of Soft Synergies for a New Generation of Artificial
Hands (SOFT HANDS)
ERC call: Advanced Grant 2011
ERC funding: J2.3 million for five years
© Studio Brega
Host institution: Fondazione Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia (Italy)
Researcher webpage: http://www.centropiaggio.unipi.it/~bicchi
SoftHand can also be controlled through sEMG (surface ElectroMyoGraphic) signals from a person’s arm, opening up
the possibility of using it for prosthetic applications
Geometry at the service of robotics
Embodied intelligence is a very dynamic research field. With this ERC project, Doctor Jean-Paul Laumond intends to contribute to the
advancement of basic research in this field bridging the gap between robot engineering and neuroscience thanks to geometric models.
Can human action be studied from a geometric perspective? This is the challenge of Dr Laumond, who intends to use a new methodology,
combining robotics and computational neuroscience, to investigate the anthropomorphic action in humans and robots. According to
him, exploring the foundations of human action could help to design more autonomous robots while more intelligent robots could
increase our understanding of human action.
In humans and in robots, actions originate in the sensory and motor space while they take place in the physical space. The main link
between these different spaces is geometry – as it enables calculations. The novelty of this project is that geometry is considered as the
key to explore the foundations of anthropomorphic actions. More specifically, the multidisciplinary team led by Dr Laumond is applying
geometrical models to study the two main components of a physical action: manipulation and locomotion. The aim is to produce some
calculation models that could be incorporated in robots to increase their autonomy. The researcher thinks that the geometric approach
to action generation and segmentation is an innovative route to address some longstanding problems in the study of embodied
intelligence.
The findings of this research project could be crucial to improve the autonomy of humanoid robots used in rescue operations or in the
service sectors as well as to perform advanced human simulations for applications in the ergonomics field.
Researcher: Jean-Paul Laumond
ERC project: Computational Foundations of Anthropomorphic Action
(ACTANTHROPE)
ERC call: Advanced Grant 2013
ERC funding: J2.5 million for five years
© LAAS-CNRS
Host institution: CNRS Paris (France)
Interaction between dancer Tayeb Benamara and humanoid robot HRP2
© LAAS-CNRS
Researcher webpage: http://homepages.laas.fr/jpl/
Microrobotics meets nanomedicine for improved eye surgery
With an aging population, Europe sees a rapid increase in the number of people affected by visual disorders requiring surgical
intervention. Funded by the ERC, a team of scientists based in Zürich are currently designing innovative microrobotics tools to
overcome the particular difficulty of manual-performed eye surgery.
Prof. Bradley Nelson is a specialist in the integration of microrobotics and nanomedicine. In this ERC project, he is developing new,
wireless minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic microtechnologies with concrete applications for eye surgery. This project
builds on the recent advances in robotic assistance in surgical and diagnostic procedures as well as in precisely targeted drug delivery
therapies. Prof. Nelson and his team are using these microrobotic devices to pursue specific ophthalmic therapies, including the
administration of drugs to the retina to treat AMD (age-related macular degeneration) and RVO (retinal vein occlusion), two major
causes of vision loss around the world and for which there is no effective treatment. The researchers have already started animal trials
on rabbits and hope to open the way to clinical trials on humans in the last year of the project.
These novel procedures, based on the development and integration of many state-of-art technologies, could reduce the risks related
to manual-performed eye surgery. They could also result in less trauma and faster recovery times for the patients, and could enable
new therapies that have not yet been conceived.
Beyond ophthalmology, these pioneering microrobotics therapies clearly have the potential to be applied in many systems in the
body - such as the digestive, the circulatory, the urinary, the respiratory and the female reproductive systems. This project could lead
to a major breakthrough in the use of microrobotics in medicine and surgery.
ERC project: Microrobotics and Nanomedicine (BOTMED)
ERC call: Advanced Grant 2010
ERC funding: J2.5 million for five years
Researcher webpage: https://www.mavt.ethz.ch/people/professoren/bnelson
A microrobot docked in a retinal vein model
© ETH Zurich – IRIS – MSRL
Host institution: ETH (Switzerland)
© ETH Zurich – IRIS – MSRL
Researcher: Bradley Nelson
How to equip robots with senses
In comparison with humans, the sensing and dexterity of current robots is extremely limited. Reproducing these fundamental human
abilities in robotic systems requires a new scientific and technological approach, according to Professor Danica Kragic.
How to create robotic systems able to perform complex tasks in a safe and robust way and in interaction with humans and the
environment? As robots cannot be fully programmed in advance for all the tasks they are supposed to execute, they should be
equipped with the capability to learn how to take into account space recognition, as well as sight, touch and other sensory feedback
– the same way humans do. Prof. Kragic believes that this objective could be achieved with the integration of advanced multisensory
data in motion representation. Exploring the importance of sensory feedback is necessary as robots should mimic the way humans
process the information coming from their senses.
Until now, robotics researchers have mainly used motion representations based on Cartesian or joint coordinates, which are not
convenient for studying flexible structures such as hands and fingers. On the contrary, topological representations are, according
to Prof. Kragic, more adequate. Her biggest challenge in this ERC project is to explore a new method for an integrated sensorial
approach, based on topological coordinates.
The resulting new models and techniques incorporating sensory data are expected to enable the construction of robots able to carry
out high-level tasks, such as complex grasping and manipulation. These developments would open the door to new applications in
robotics such as disassembly and recycling, or manipulation of hazardous materials.
Researcher: Danica Kragic
Host institution: Kungliga Tekniska Hoegskolan (Sweden)
ERC project: Flexible object manipulation based on statistical learning and
topological representations (FLEXBOT)
ERC call: Starting Grant 2011
ERC funding: J1.4 million for five years
Researcher webpage: http://www.csc.kth.se/~danik
Object regrasping
© Mátyás Lőrincz
Flocking drones, swarming pigeons
Not only living organisms, but also robots can move in certain collective patterns. But what rules underlie such behaviour? The study
of the patterns of group motion in pigeons motivated Professor Tamás Vicsek to develop a swarm of drones being able to reproduce
analogous collective motion behaviour.
Collective motion is one of the most spectacular forms of collective behaviour. To better understand its main patterns, Prof. Tamás
Vicsek and his team recorded tracks of pigeons, using miniature GPS-devices that were attached to the birds. It appeared that pigeons
flying in a flock demonstrate a delicate collective decision making process. The team discovered a well-defined hierarchy among flock
members, and the average spacial position of a pigeon within the flock strongly correlated with its place in this hierarchy.
Based on the hierarchy structures observed in the flocking of pigeons, the team, funded by the ERC, created an array of autonomous
flying robots, each one equipped with a little ‘brain’. These helicopter-like quadcopter drones, propelled by four motors, were able to
make decisions concerning direction, flight and positions entirely by themselves. When the drones were instructed to form a circle, for
instance, they collectively decided which position each of them should take within that circle. In certain experiments, the team also
introduced intelligent leaders into the flock of drones to mimic the hierarchy within pigeon flocks.
These autonomous drones will make possible a wide range of future applications. Hence, a self-organised flock of drones could
function as a monitoring system to follow up on environmental and agricultural changes. Moreover, a single person interacting - by
means of simple commands - with the flock, opens a new dimension of human-machine cooperation.
Researcher: Tamás Vicsek
Host institution: Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary)
ERC project: Complex structure and dynamics of collective motion (COLLMOT)
ERC call: Advanced Grant 2008
ERC funding: J1.3 million for five years
Project website: https://hal.elte.hu/flocking
A flock of autonomously flying quadcopter-drones
A step forward to the service robots of the future
Why should people waste their time executing some repetitive time-consuming everyday tasks which do not require creativity and
intellectual capacity? Such a reasoning stands behind Professor Bruno Siciliano’s ERC funded project aiming at the creation of a new
generation of service robots.
At the core of Prof. Siciliano’s team work is the construction of a new robot with unmatched dexterity that autonomously performs
tasks that could ease people’s manual work. With its mobile platform, two lightweight arms and multi-fingered hands, the socalled RoDyMan —the acronym for Robotic Dynamic Manipulation — will be able to perform a number of dynamic non-prehensile
manipulation tasks, other than grasping.
RoDyMan will effectively be based on novel techniques for 3D object perception, dynamic manipulation control and reactive planning.
By assessing information about the physical properties of the object, RoDyMan will be able to control the sequence of actions in the
task, react to unexpected situations and avoid collisions with objects and humans thanks to the multiple sensing capabilities.
Two years after the start of the project, the research work performed by Prof. Siciliano has progressed well. The construction of
the RoDyMan prototype structure is evolving day after day, while techniques are being developed to allow the robot to interact
in a dynamic environment with deformable objects such as food or clothes, as well as with soft tissues, like muscles and skin, for
medical purposes.
With unprecedented manipulation skills and an enhanced ability to work in human contexts, RoDyMan’s future looks bright.
From assisting elderly people to repairing a limb, the potential applications of RoDyMan are numerous and could greatly improve
our daily lives.
ERC project: Robotic Dynamic Manipulation (RoDyMan)
ERC call: Advanced Grant 2012
ERC funding: J2.5 million for five years
Rendering of RoDyMan prototype structure under construction
© Bruno Siciliano, PRISMA Lab
Host institution: Consorzio C.R.E.A.T.E.
© Ciro Fusco, ANSA
Researcher: Bruno Siciliano JZ-01-15-238-EN-N
“The European Research Council has, in a short time, achieved world-class status as a funding body
for excellent curiosity-driven frontier research. With its special emphasis on allowing top young talent to
thrive, the ERC Scientific Council is committed to keeping to this course. The ERC will continue to help
make Europe a power house for science and a place where innovation is fuelled by a new generation.”
More ERC stories
http://erc.europa.eu/erc-stories
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DOI 10.2828/771719 - ISBN 978-92-9215-033-4
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© European Research Council Executive Agency, 2015 • © Images: www.istockphotos.com or when otherwise noted • Reproduction of the text is permitted provided
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Jean-Pierre Bourguignon
ERC President and Chair of its Scientific Council